The straight answer is No! A big No! A recent report about the popular brand Nestle has been in the limelight for marketing baby food products like cereal (Cerelac) in India and other developing countries with a higher percentage of sugar content than the European market. It is reported by a Swiss NGO named Public Eye in collaboration with the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN). It will lead to many diseases like obesity, diabetes, heart-related problems, and so on. Moreover, the high sugar content will make the children addicted to this product. So, the health of the young generation is at stake, and it will hamper the progress of the developing countries largely and objectively. Turning a blind eye to the health of consumers is a huge offense. It has to be dealt with highhandedness. Here, the role of The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) comes into play but question arises- does this organization is efficient enough to consider the matter seriously? By observing the standard protocol of Indian machinery, FSSAI has been trying to obtain detailed reports from international regulatory authorities. Seeing all these happenings in an era where information and investigation could happen very easily, still no one seems to be bothered, which reminds the observation of American writer and environmentalist Wendell Berry: “The food industry pays no attention to the health and safety of consumers.” If we go lateral on this topic, then it is found unethical in the parts of the food industry that provide substitute products for breast feeding when all global authorities and Indian authorities are advocating for breast feeding for six months initially after baby birth.
However, in the same context, two Indian masala manufacturers have been banned by Hong Kong and Singapore regulatory authorities. The report cited that ethylene oxide was found in the masalas, which can cause cancer. Toeing the line, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has reported the presence of this chemical in 527 Indian food products between 2020 and 2024.
Since the problem exists here and there, who will take ownership to keep it in brackets? Indian institutions are not proactive in these concerns because it has become a culture in India to get the Supreme Court involved in every high-profile case. An apology letter by Patanjali has been forced by the apex court for misleading advertisements. Therefore, expecting an ethical approach from corporate houses seems to be taxing on their profits because we have 1.4 billion consumers with 77.7% literacy rate. Our people just cannot afford to read food labels and other pertinent information. Language is again challenging it. A survey conducted by Forbes writes that only 30% Indians can speak English.
Come what may, such problems will keep growing in a country like India. Accountability on both sides appears to be demanding and lopsided as well.